Frequently Asked Questions

What is Business for Peace's goal?

To inspire more business leaders to be businessworthy. We do this by awarding the Oslo Business for Peace Award, (the highest recognition a Business Leader can achieve), to exceptional individuals who exemplify the concept of being businessworthy.

What do you mean by being businessworthy?

Being businessworthy stands for the ability to apply one’s business energy ethically and responsibly to create value for all.

What makes BfP different from other organisations promoting sustainable business?

We distinguish ourselves in 2 ways:

The Oslo Business for Peace Award is given from society to Business: The nominating bodies are ICC, UNDP and UNGC (see below) and an independent award committee consisting of former Nobel Laureates decides who gets it.

We focus on the individual business leader rather than the organisation: The award is given to individuals, not organizations.

What are the criteria to receive the Oslo Business for Peace Award?

The Oslo Business for Peace Award is given annually to exceptional businesspersons who through actions and commitments exemplify the concept of being businessworthy. The criteria to receive the award is that nominees must be:

Examples to Society and their Peers: act as examples to the general public and inspire the business community by showing how to achieve success through ethical and responsible business practices.

Advocates of Ethical and Responsible Business: outspoken advocates of ethical and responsible business principles, and of social responsibility in corporate governance.

Trusted by the Communities their Businesses Affect: have developed and cultivated successful international or national businesses in a manner that is recognized and appreciated by the communities within which their business is active, ideally by creating economic value in a way that also creates value for society.'

Who decides who gets the Award?

Recipients are selected by an independent committee of Nobel Prize winners in Peace and Economics. The idea is that Nobel laureates, being the foremost representatives of the global society are selecting the foremost representatives of the business communities. As of today, the Award Committee consists of (names).

How are winners nominated?

The nomination process is based on a local, bottom up nomination process through the global networks of the ICC (International Chambers of Commerce), UNDP and UN Global Compact.

Why is the foundation called Business for Peace?

Business and peace are closely linked; Peace is crucial for businesses as no business can thrive in failed societies, and business can be an important contributor to creating and sustaining peace.
We often limit our thinking about Peace as the absence of violence,(often called negative peace). However, like staying healthy is only treating and curing a disease but also avoiding being sick, peace can be thought of as creating the optimal environment for the human potential to flourish. As referred to by IPE, Institute of Peace and Economics, this represents the attitudes, structures and institutions that when strengthened, leads to more peaceful societies (often called positive peace in the literature). Societies high in positive peace show stronger degree of resilience and are better adapt to external shocks, and have a stronger basis for societal advancement and growth.
Within this approach of thinking, business role as a contributor to building and sustaining peace is easier to recognize, realizing that business’ core contribution to society is its innovative ability to create and scale solutions to human and societal problems, thereby creating value for all. Business will need to act ethically and responsible as well as realize that society is the very purpose of its existence. Profits involving a social purpose represents a higher form of capitalism, one that creates a positive cycle of company and community prosperity, to quote Professor Michael Porter of Harvard. Business does not exist in a vacuum.
The thinking and action we refer to as being businessworthy is coined to inspire such a contribution to more peaceful and prosperous societies.

About Business for Peace

The vision of the Business for Peace Foundation is that all business leaders have as their purpose to improve society. This requires being ”businessworthy” – in an ethical and responsible way creating value both for business and society.